Baseball’s Miller earns program’s 7th Academic All-America honor

Exactly a week after receiving All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, Baylor junior Aaron Miller became the seventh student-athlete in Baylor baseball history to earn Academic All-America honors, following in the footsteps of pitcher Pat Combs (1988), first baseman Charley Carter (1998), pitcher Jason Jennings (1998-99), outfielder Jon Topolski (1998-99), first baseman Ross Bennett (2003) and catcher Zach Dillon (2006). All but Combs were so honored during head coach Steve Smith’s 15 seasons at the helm of the Bears.

Miller, a management and entrepreneurship major, has been the epitome of “Winning with Integrity,” excelling not only in the classroom but also at the plate and even on the mound this season. As the Bears’ right fielder, Miller is batting .328 with 12 home runs and 47 RBI in 53 games; he also has compiled a 3-3 record on the mound, with 59 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. The junior also earned his sixth selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, one of a school-record 223 student-athletes to be so honored this spring.

The Academic All-America announcement also came just one day after the Bears learned they would be making their 10th NCAA appearance in 12 years, heading to Louisiana for the Baton Rouge Regional. Baylor will face 21st-ranked Minnesota Friday at 6 p.m. CT; host LSU, the national No. 3 seed, and SWAC champion Southern round out the regional field.

Sic ’em, Aaron and Baylor baseball!